Meeting the Parents
by last-days-of-pern
Summary: Tara meets Willow's parents for the first time.


Title: Meeting the Parents

Author: Kimberly aka last_days_of_pern

Feedback: *Stands up* Hi my name in Kimberly and I'm a feedback addict :P

Rating: G

Pairing: Willow/Tara,

Disclaimers: I don't own anything, please don't sue me.

Summary: Tara meets Willow's parents for the first time

Willow walked out into the bright sunlight and saw Tara walking up the sidewalk towards her, instantly a bright smile appeared on her face. It always amazed her how Tara could light up her day just by appearing. She treasured every second she had with her girlfriend, then again who wouldn't with a girlfriend like Tara.

"Hey you." Tara said and smiled as she got close to Willow, their hands linking without any thought.

"Hey you too." Willow beamed back by way of a response.

"Ok Dr. Seuss are you ready?"

"Have I mentioned lately that I don't want to do this?"

"Yup, but you're not getting out of it."

"Please." Willow said in her best begging voice.

"Nope, you're the one who didn't turn down the invitation so you are going, besides it your parents, it would look weird if I showed up alone."

"Well we could both skip it," Willow said hopefully.

Tara didn't budge though, she wanted to make a good impression the first time she met Willow's parents, and skipping out on the first planned meeting wouldn't do that. "We're going and that's that, so come on, it won't be that bad."

"You haven't met my parents."

"Which is precisely why we're going." Tara tugged gently on their joined hands and Willow reluctantly followed. All the way planning ways Tara could make it up to her later. She was just getting to the really naughty thoughts when she realized that they were standing outside her house on the sidewalk. "Ready."

"No."

"To bad," Tara walked up to the porch and waited at the door, when Willow finally joined her she knocked.

"Willow honey I'm glad you came," Shelia Rosenberg said when she saw her daughter, and who could only be her girlfriend judging by the way they held hand and looked at each other.

"Mom this is Tara, Tara this is my mother Shelia," Willow introduced once they were inside and the door was closed.

"Hello Mrs. Rosenberg it's nice to finally meet you, Willow has told me a lot about you and Mr. Rosenberg." Tara said as politely as possible.

Shelia was all ready to dislike the GIRL her perfect little daughter was dating. It was easy to hate that boy she liked, what was his name, something from a book was all she could remember, anyway, he was a musician. There were plenty of things to disapprove of with him, but looking at Tara now, she knew it would be hard work finding something that was bad about her. She and her husband had both prided themselves for being non-judgmental when it came to people who were different, so gender alone wasn't a fault. Although she wished her little girl could have found a nice Jewish boy to settle down

with. "Thank you Sara, please come in you two, no reason to stand in the foyer."

Shelia leading the way and Willow and Tara following behind dutifully they made their way to the living room where Ira sat, on the way Tara looked to Willow and mouthed, "Sara?" She had heard from Buffy that Shelia rarely got the names of her daughter's friends right, but how hard was it to remember a name one minute after it's been said. Silently Tara wondered how this woman had made it through all her schooling; maybe the forgetfulness was on purpose, which just gave all kinds of new things to think about. Her head was starting to hurt with the effort.

"Willow, how's my little girl?" Ira Rosenberg asked as the trio walked into the room.

"Fine daddy. How are you?"

"Doing just fine, well then this must be the one you were telling us about."

"Yes daddy this is Tara my girlfriend." There she had said it, to her parents, the people who raised her, her only family. And all she could think is that she really didn't want to be there saying it.

Tara's face lit up as Willow said girlfriend, and this didn't go unnoticed by either of Willow's parents. "Hello Mr. Rosenberg."

"Hello Tara, please sit down tell us about yourself."

"I'm going to check on lunch," Shelia walked out of the room to the kitchen, leaving Willow and Tara to face Ira, by far the more understanding of the two parents. After all Willow was his only baby girl, she could do anything and he would still be there for her. And not naming names, but he wasn't the one to try and burn their little girl and her friends at the stake, an act that wasn't spoken of since it happened.

Tara gulped slightly, just loud enough that Willow alone heard, and then started to speak, hoping her stutter wouldn't act up too much. "Um well I'm a student at UCS, like Willow, that's actually where we met. Um I'm from further north than here, a really small town, smaller than Sunnydale in fact…" Tara was at a loss for what else to say about herself, and thankfully Shelia unknowingly came to the rescue.

"Lunch is served." The four sat around the table in an uncomfortable silence for the first part of lunch. The only words spoken were that of people asking for things to be passed to them. All in all it was the worst lunch any of them had ever had. Willow was just glad this was the last time she would ever have to introduce someone to her parents, and hopefully Tara wouldn't be too eager to come back soon.

"Willow honey how is school going? Are you enjoying that drama class you're taking?" Ira asked just to break the deafening silence that had fallen over the room.

"Oh yeah, it's one of my favorite classes, we do so much cool stuff. We're doing monologues from Hamlet right now, it's great." Tara smiled at her lover as she spoke. Ira saw how much love radiated in their eyes, and their smiles for each other, and decided it was time he had a talk with the person who held possession of his baby's heart.

"Well that's good. Well dear why don't you and Willow clean up while Tara and I go into the study to have a chat, get to know each other."

Tara looked terrified. She looked to Willow hoping her girlfriend would save her, but as Willow rose from her seat she leaned down and whispered, "told ya we should have skipped this." And with that she left for the kitchen with some plates.

Ira rose and Tara followed after him, her head hung low, her hair covering her face. When Ira offered her a seat she took it, her head still hanging low. She feared this was the part where Ira told her that he wouldn't stand for his little girl dating another girl, and to get out of Willow's life. She didn't know if she and Willow could survive that, so this was definitely something she wasn't looking forward to.

"Tara," Ira gently said to get the girl to look up. When she did Ira got to see just how beautiful the woman dating his daughter was. After a second of collecting himself, and his thoughts, he continued. "Do you love her?"

"Oh yes sir, more than anything." Tara answered immediately and eagerly, but most importantly, honestly.

"Well I can definitely tell she loves you, so I have just one thing to say, don't hurt my little girl. She has a very precious heart, that' already been broken once, and I don't want to see that happen again, understood?"

Tara didn't think her voice would work, due to all the emotion clogging it up, so she merely shook her head indicating that she understood.

"Good. I'm glad she has someone. But don't think that just `cause you two are in collage and on your own you don't have to visit us. And I'm sure Shelia and I would like to meet your parents as well."

"Um parent, my mother died a few years ago, but I doubt you'll get the chance to meet my father, we aren't on good terms."

"I'm sorry to hear that, no one should loose a parent at such a young age. I'm sure your experience in such a heartbreak is helpful for Buffy and Dawn though."

"Sometimes, I guess."

"Well we should get back out there, my daughter is probably pacing a hole in the rug, which will just put Shelia in a huff." Ira smile, which made Tara smile, that hadn't been as bad as she had thought it would be. And boy was she grateful for that.

One thing was for sure, Ira sure knew his family, when they walked out of the room Willow was pacing, and Shelia was looking rather peeved. "Hey." Willow's head jerked up when she heard Tara's voice, alive and well, and smiling, all good signs as far as she was concerned.

"Well I'm sure you girls want to be on your way, have a good day." Ira gave his daughter a hug and kiss as did Shelia, then surprised everyone when he pulled Tara into a fatherly hug as well. Now Tara had two allies in the Rosenberg family, now all she had to do was win over Shelia, who still insisted on calling her Sara for some reason.

As Willow and Tara were walking home Tara said, "now see that wasn't so bad."

"Hello? Were you at the same lunch I was at? Mom if she could have would have shot ice at you, then at dad when he hugged you, which by the way what was that all about? No one talked during lunch, you and daddy disappeared for over twenty minutes, which had me worried, which made me pace, which made mom mad, which…"

Tara stopped walking and kissed Willow effectively shutting her up. "Honey it went great, your dad seems to like me, and I'll be happy if your mom just gets my name right. And look at the bright side we don't have to go back for two whole weeks." As soon as Tara said that she started walking back toward the dorms, Willow stood there, her mind trying to jump start after that kiss, the it caught up with what Tara had said.

Suddenly she sprang into motion running after Tara, "two weeks? What do you mean two weeks? Tara?"

THE END.


End file.
